New books for the New Year! Here is the latest LibraryReads list, the top 10 books publishing in January 2016 that librarians across the country recommend. The list includes new novels from Elizabeth Strout (“Olive Kitteridge”) and Melanie Benjamin (“The Aviator’s Wife”), as well as nonfiction from the incomparable Bill Bryson (“A Walk in the Woods”)!
“My Name Is Lucy Barton” by Elizabeth Strout
“Set in the mid-1980s, Lucy Barton, hospitalized for nine weeks, is surprised when her estranged mother shows up at her bedside. Her mother talks of local gossip, but underneath the banalities, Lucy senses the love that cannot be expressed. This is the story that Lucy must write about, the one story that has shaped her entire life. A beautiful lyrical story of a mother and daughter and the love they share.” – Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield, MA
“The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend” by Katarina Bivald
“Sara arrives in the small town of Broken Wheel to visit her pen pal Amy, only to discover Amy has just died. The tale of how she brings the love of books and reading that she shared with Amy to the residents of Broken Wheel is just a lovely read. Any book lover will enjoy Sara’s story and that of the friends she makes in Broken Wheel. If ever a town needed a bookstore, it is Broken Wheel; the healing power of books and reading is made evident by this heartwarming book.” – Barbara Clark-Greene, Groton Public Library, Groton, CT
“The Swans of Fifth Avenue” by Melanie Benjamin
“Benjamin transports readers to 1960s Manhattan. This story gives us the chance to spy on Truman Capote’s close friendship with Babe Paley and his society “swans,” and the betrayal and scandal that drove them apart. I loved the description of the Black and White Ball.” – Emily Weiss, Bedford Public Library, Bedford, NH
And here is the rest of the list with links to the catalog for your holds-placing pleasure.
- “Ashley Bell” by Dean Koontz
- “American Housewife” by Helen Ellis
- “The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain” by Bill Bryson
- “The Things We Keep” by Sally Hepworth
- “Ornaments of Death: A Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery” by Jane K. Cleland
- “Even Dogs in the Wild” by Ian Rankin
- “What She Knew” by Gilly Macmillan
